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Undertaker

Recently, it has come popular to try and rank to top 10 wrestlers in WWE history based off of various scales, ranking systems, etc. There are dozens of ways to determine who had the best run in their WWE career, including time on top, mic skills, mat skills, title reigns, Wrestlemania headlining matches, etc. For me, if I were using my own scale, I would rank on 5 categories:

1) Ownership of Character – because at the end of the day, you have to be a great character to make it in the industry.
2) Storytelling ability – once your character is established, you must be able to tell the story, work with other characters, and complete the ultimate ending of a storyline.
3) In-ring ability – that story must be told and executed in the ring.
4) Mic skills – If you have it, you have it. If you don’t you need a mouth piece. If you don’t have either, you aren’t going to be great.
5) Value to WWE – Do you sell PPV’s, merchandise, and ultimate capture the PR the WWE is looking for.

For this article, I am going to use the Mitchamore Scale, thought up by Blake Mitchamore (@BlakeAaron73)…

His scale took in to account the following…

1. Longevity- How long was there run on the top?

2. In Ring Ability

3. Mic-Work – How good were they with the stick in their hands.

4. Mainstream appeal – Were they just big in the wrestling world or did they break out to the mainstream?

5. Flexibility- Could they reinvent themselves? Did they have multiple runs on top or were they the same exact character throughout their career?

6. Wrestlemania- How many Wrestlemania were they in one of the main event matches on the card?

* Tie Breaker- I used Wrestlemania main events as the tie breaker.

Using this ranking system, here is the way I ranked a short list of superstars. Once they were out of contention, I cut them. Those stars included Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Kane, Edge, Batista, Mick Foley, Warrior, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar (due to longevity alone). I didn’t feel CM Punk deserved to be considered.

Hulk Hogan – 9,5,9,8,7,10 = 48… Yes, he was terrible at #2, average is a compliment. Remember, this is WWE, not WCW – so #5 shows no real change (he wasn’t a heel during his main WWE run).

Bret Hart – 8,9,7,6,7,7 = 43… Bret really never crossed over in to the “mainstream” media. He was shaky on the mic in my opinion.

Steve Austin – 9,7,8,7,8,9 = 48… Austin was good in the ring, not great. He can’t be a 9 or 10 on the mic because that is for the best, he wasn’t the “best”.

Undertaker – 8,7,6,5,8,10 = 44… Taker’s career has been extended in the last 5-7 years by fighting a limited schedule. I wouldn’t say he was ever “mainstream”. He is however, one of two that I rank at the top of the Wrestlemania scale, 21 … and 1.

The Rock – 9,8,10,10,8,9 = 54… Longevity might be a bit too polite, but even if I drop it 1, that puts him at 53 overall. He worked the mic like no other and, he crossed over like no other. For the overrating he may have gotten from me in longevity, he was underscored in flexibility (should be 9). Heel/face, it doesn’t matter!

Shawn Michaels – 10,9,8,7,8,10 = 52… HBK was a lifer, he was almost perfect in ring – until his back caught up. He was sneaky good on the mic and, well, he is Mr. Wrestlemania!

Triple H – 9,8,8,7,8,8 = 48… Sorry Blake, Triple H isn’t #1. Is is very good though. He wasn’t a lifer, but he is locked in for life now. He’s technical in ring and better than good on the mic. Mainstream – no. He was flexible in character and lost 3 times to Undertaker at Wrestlemania!

John Cena – 10,7,8,8,7,9 = 49… He’s a lifer, in-ring, well… and he’s held the company above water the past decade.

Randy Orton – 8,8,7,8,8,8 = 47… Randy Orton just gets it done. If it weren’t for John Cena, Orton’s legacy would be something much greater. Orton and Cena could have been Rock and Austin part 2, but it wasn’t.

Chris Jericho – 7,8,8,7,7,8 = 45… Y2J was under-appreciated, both in WCW and WWE. Vince saw his potential, which is why he was the first undisputed WWE Champion. That said, he had a shorter run, left and came back as a part timer. He was I.C. champ 750 times, tag partner with 50 guys, and he had the red carpet debut with the Rock. I find it hard to rank him above Undertaker, which is why I think this scale and system needs adjusted.

Bret Hart – 8,7,9,7,7 = 38… He was the Hitman, he owned the character, but he never took it to the next level. He was OK at telling stories, at best. He was damn near perfect in ring, shaky on the mic and ultimately never gave the WWE the ROI they had hoped for.

Undertaker – 9,9,7,7,9 = 41… The reason for the knock down here is when he cut his hair and became a damn biker! He told great stories, was very good for a big man in the ring, could speak when needed – but had Paul Bearer, and he sold millions of Wrestlemania buys, thus of great value.

Chris Jericho – 8,7,8,9,8 = 39… He played too much with his character in my opinion, but made up for it with mic skills. He was a fantastic worker and, like mentioned above, was very transparent. That Rock debut again, didn’t hurt his cause!

Randy Orton – 8,7,8,8,8 = 39… Much of the same as Jericho. Had a chance to be great, but he had John Cena to deal with – stole his thunder. Also, a few suspensions didn’t help his cause.

Triple H – 8,8,8,9,8 = 41… Hunter was very good, just not GREAT in any specific area. He was consistent, and his mic skills in DX gave him a great asset.

Steve Austin – 9,9,8,9,10 = 45… Austin’s character was brilliant and that’s the bottom line! He sold the storyline, was pretty damn good in ring, worked the mic like a champ and his value was top.

Hulk Hogan – 10,9,7,9,10 = 45… So he is tied with Austin, we will break that later. His only flaw was in-ring to me. He didn’t everything else the American way. He headlined the biggest events – Andre, Savage, Warrior, Slaughter. He even came back and work a great one with the Rock (see what I did there?!).

John Cena – 8,8,7,7,10 = 40… Imagine Cena in the Hogan era, what could have been between those two! You could have gotten away with turning Cena heel! That said, Cena is bland to me over time. He really isn’t special in-ring, but his value is second to none, tied with the best.

Shawn Michaels – 9,8,9,8,9 = 43… If it weren’t for injuries, HBK would rank higher. Sorry, but it’s part of the game. He wasn’t durable enough to be on top – but he is still one of the best.

The Rock – 9,9,8,10,10 = 46… Dwayne recreated the way to succeed in the industry. His character was awesome, heel or face. He told a story in the ring and on the mic. His only hitch, to me, was that he was very very good in ring, but others were better, which is why I gave him an 8. His mic skills, yeah. Value, double yeah.

So lets break down this top ten…

10. Bret Hart (38)
9. Randy Orton (39)
8. Chris Jericho (40t)
7. John Cena (40t) – overall value is greater than Jericho
6. Triple H (41t)
5. Undertaker (41t) – this is a judgement on what he DID for the WWE, not what he WILL DO in the future
4. Shawn Michaels (43)
3. Hulk Hogan (45t)
2. Steve Austin (45t) – Hogan created it with Vince, Austin executed it with Vince.
1. The Rock (46)

Now, lets compare my rankings and the Mitchamore scale to come up with an average and comparison.

Overall, the results are similar. Each wrestler has their value for each ranking. My problem with the Mitchamore scale rating Triple H 1 and Undertaker 2 is the fact that the Undertaker is 3-0 at Wrestlemania vs. Triple H. Our biggest differing of opinion is Steve Austin and The Rock. However, both scales for me show greater value for those two wrestlers.

It’s all a matter of opinion, but the top 10 is a great list and a good place to start. Who would be the WWE Mt. Rushmore? This is just WWE in the past 20 years – imagine if we added WCW, NWA, and all the other territories and great wrestlers. Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Harley Race, Terry Funk, Sting, Dusty Rhodes.

The interesting thing about the combo scale is the 4-way tie for 2nd/ or 5th. Hogan was Mr. Wrestlemania, Michaels became Mr. Wrestlemania, Undertaker is 21-1 at Wrestlemania and HHH one day will book (w/out Vince) Wrestlemania.

In 1999, the WWE embarked on a Sunday that was even bigger than Wrestlemania. It was during Super Bowl XXXIII that the WWE (WWF at the time) spent $1.6M on a 30 second ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCwb5yoQtw) that featured The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Vince McMahon, and The Undertaker.

The Undertaker.

Isn’t it ironic that the Denver Broncos took part in the Super Bowl that season, and they once again are in the championship game this year as well. 15 years was a long time ago. As a matter of fact, that was the year of Wrestlemania 15 and, by my calculations – the WWE is due for it’s every 15-year Super Bowl commercial.

Times have changed though. This year, a 30 second Super Bowl spot will cost $4M! That much money can buy a lot of things, it also better have an overwhelming return on investment.

The Undertaker.

At Wrestlemania XV, the Undertaker ran ‘the streak’ to 8-0 by defeating the Big Boss Man inside Hell in a Cell. This year, he has a chance to go 22-0. But against who?

REFER BACK TO: Return On Investment.

The rumors are hotter than ever and the opportunity for the WWE to capitalize is now. It has to be. I am not sure what Batista is being paid for his current return to the company but, at this time I can promise you one thing – the WWE isn’t seeing a high return.

The Daniel Bryan movement is more than just a WWE thing now, it is mainstream and there is a pretty good chance a YES! chant will break out at some point in MetLife Stadium on Sunday, a place the WWE got their hands on before the NFL could. Stick with me here, it’s almost time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Last night on Raw, it’s obvious the WWE did two things; A) Rewrite several possible plans they had for the next 68 days, and B) They trolled the WWE Universe incredible well, specifically HHH in the opening segment. No matter what the WWE wanted its fans to accept, the response was a resounding NO! So they must call an AUDIBLE.

Next week, Raw takes place live from Omaha, Nebraska… OMAHA! But the audible, whether it is in place or not needs to be made soon, and it needs to be brought in to play Sunday during Super Bowl XLVIII.

PIECES: The Undertaker, the Denver Broncos, Peyton Manning, Omaha (both Nebraska and Audible)… It’s been 15 years since the WWE’s only Super Bowl ad during Super Bowl 33, it’s time to come full circle again, 15 years later.

The Missing PIECE: STING

Other than promoting the 30th anniversary of the WWE’s biggest event of the year, the WWE is also set to launch the WWE Network, complete with historic and original programming. One of the major draws in the historic programming section will be WCW.

“The Monday Night War” is set to air on the WWE Network upon its launch. One of the main pieces of that puzzle itself was Sting (we all know the back story).

For $4M, or $133,333.33 per second, the WWE can promote Wrestlemania and/or the WWE Network on Super Bowl Sunday. And here’s why they should.

According to Nielsen, last year’s telecast of Super Bowl XLVII on CBS drew an average audience of 108.7 million viewers. The game was viewed in 53 million homes and had a 46.4 U.S. household rating. The in-game blackout, being reported as a separated telecast, averaged 106.6 million viewers.

BLACKOUT, a theme synonymous with both The Undertaker and Sting.

This year’s Super Bowl is estimated to be watched by 115 million people. Is that an audience the WWE wants to pass up? 115 million people to promote Wrestlemania and the WWE Network to. And the icing on the cake, the debut date of Sting.

Now, I don’t know for sure whether or not Steve Borden has officially signed with the WWE, but there is good reason to believe he has. Rumored meetings with Vince McMahon in the past week, including one in Pittsburgh on Sunday at the Royal Rumble.

Next week’s Raw in Omaha also happens to be Sting’s hometown. I am not sure the stars can align any more for this perfect scenario to play out, that being a WWE Super Bowl commercial promoting Wrestlemania 30, the WWE Network, and the debut of Sting – THE NEXT NIGHT on Raw!

Of the 115 million people watching the Super Bowl, many- if not most, will be familiar with WWE and the Undertaker, and more likely than not, Sting. Execution is key.

There are several scenarios I have played out regarding how this could be executed. Would the WWE focus on the WWE Network launch? Keep in mind, according to SocialGuide’s 2013 Super Bowl Advertising Report, 5.3 million people sent out 26.1 million tweets during the course of the entire game. That’s right in the WWE Network’s wheelhouse.

Or, would the WWE decide that social media interaction during the Super Bowl will be enough in itself, that they would simply stick to Wrestlemania 30? Either way, that all important ROI would be mind-boggling, tenfold!

Each second, for the first 21, an image of the Undertaker will be shown on the screen (or a picture of his opponent), in a slideshow/movie tape fashion. One after another 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0… I think you see where I’m going.

The buzz generated from something like that would payoff by the end of the game based on social media interaction alone. The viewership the next night would be the highest rated Raw, possibly ever.

Now I know it’s too late to sell 30 second spots for Raw next week, but the supply for the demand would drive up advertising revenue to new levels for the WWE. It would enable them to sell commercials on WWE program at a premium for the next 2 months.

At the end of this read, you may be excited for my idea, I know I would be. But then, just like each week on our show, you have to understand REALITY, as in Chair Shot Reality on Wrestlezone.com.

The reality is the Super Bowl commercial spots are likely already sold out. If Sting signed in the past 7 days, the WWE surely wouldn’t have been able to acquire a Super Bowl slot on such late notice. Then again, they may have indeed already secured one to promote the launch of the WWE Network. That would have been a great idea, and still is. And, if that’s the case – and the WWE does have a commercial placement on Sunday to promote the WWE Network, I think it’s time to call an audible if Sting is indeed heading “home.”